Health News 2015: E-Cigarette Exposure Weakens Immune System

In a laboratory study conducted on mice, researchers from the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health discovered that e-cigarettes can still negatively affect the immune system of lungs, Science Daily reported.

The researchers noted that the mice used in the study became more vulnerable to disease infections after being exposed to the smoke from these devices, which are also known as vapes.

For the first phase of the experiment, the mice used by the researchers were divided into two main groups. The first group was exposed to smoke from vapes while the other one was just subjected to normal air.

The researchers then moved on to the second phase which involved separating the mice into three different groups. Those in the first group were given drops of pneumonia-causing bacteria while the members of the second groups received the Influenza A virus. The third group was not exposed to any form of disease or bacteria.

After checking up on the mice, the researchers discovered that the group that was exposed to e-cigarette smoke during the first stage of the experiment had more members that contracted pulmonary diseases as compared to the one exposed to cleaner air.

Dr. Thomas Sussan, lead author of the study concluded that the results of the study show the effects of vape smoke to the lungs. He noted that some of the mice died shortly after contracting the diseases.

"E-cigarette vapor alone produced mild effects on the lungs, including inflammation and protein damage," he said in a statement. "However, when this exposure was followed by a bacterial or viral infection, the harmful effects of e-cigarette exposure became even more pronounced."

"The e-cigarette exposure inhibited the ability of mice to clear the bacteria from their lungs, and the viral infection led to increased weight loss and death indicative of an impaired immune response," Sussan added.

Although the experiments were conducted on mice, Sussan and his team of researchers believe the study could serve as a model for future studies regarding the impacts of e-cigarettes on health.